Losing Streak

On February 9, the Thunder hosted the Cavaliers.

Without Westbrook, the Thunder had lost a major source of offense, as well as their most reliable playmaker.

Facing the Eastern Conference First Seed and defending champions, they couldn't repeat their success from the previous game.

Though Butler went off for 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Chen Xi put up a steady 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, four fists were no match for six hands.

Irving shook off his slump from last time and caught fire, shooting 16-for-23 for 39 points, 3 rebounds, and 12 assists. James had 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Love put up 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists.

The Cavaliers used the classic Big Three formula to win with ease.

After the game, Old Zhan walked over with a smile and chatted amiably with Westbrook, who was dressed in a suit.

Irving, on the other hand, acted unusually and hurried back to the locker room. When Chen Xi asked Love about it, he learned that the mystic apparently had some religious event to attend after the game.

Watching Love and Old Zhan still bask in the joy of victory, Chen Xi tugged at the corner of his mouth. You two big brothers still haven't realized how serious this is.

Irving had already started getting into religion. How long before he started acting up?

Still, those two might not have to worry about it. Unless something unexpected happened, after getting gentleman-swept again in this year's Finals, Irving would ask for a trade next year.

The Celtics and Nets were the ones who ought to be worried. In the original timeline, it would take Irving years to settle down and focus on playing basketball.

Of course, the pandemic had played a part in all this.

Thinking of the pandemic, though it was only 2017, should he stock up on supplies in advance?

Chen Xi rubbed his chin, beginning to consider the future.

He wasn't exactly a good person, but he couldn't just sit by and do nothing while the pandemic emerged and then faded away.

Maybe he could stockpile supplies in America, then secretly ship them back to China and donate them. That would be doing his part, right?

Chen Xi scratched his head and headed back to the locker room. For the moment, he couldn't be bothered thinking about the win or loss. His mind was full of plans for buying masks and other supplies in bulk without attracting attention.

He wasn't a genius, had no connections, and knew nothing about medicine. Naturally, he had no good way to handle COVID. Stocking up on supplies was the best plan he could think of in the short term.

But there was still plenty of time, so there was no need to rush. He could sign a big contract next year, then return to China and lay the groundwork by setting up a company or something. That would make shipping and logistics easier later.

Right! He'd think about it then!

Chen, a chronic procrastinator, always stopped at the stage of having an idea.

On February 9, the Thunder hosted the Golden State Warriors again.

Before the game, Zaza Pachulia announced that he wouldn't play because of an injury, so Kerr chose to put Javale McGee in the starting lineup to give the team more size, though that was very un-Kerr...

This was Kevin Durant's first time back at the Thunder's home court that season. He was greeted by a chorus of boos and one insulting poster after another.

The Thunder fans had waited a long time for this day. They'd started preparing early, ready to make Durant miserable. The deeper the love, the sharper the hate. No one could stay indifferent when the "ex" who'd dumped them showed up.

This time, they had to let him have it—especially since the Thunder were still third in the Western Conference and had just beaten the Warriors with a game-winning shot. That made the fans even more unhappy with Durant's choice, and they despised it.

Look, we're still a good team without you. If you hadn't left, we'd be even better!

The fans' feelings toward KD were complicated. It was like getting dumped by your first love, suddenly getting rich, then going to show off in front of them only to discover their new partner might be even richer than you.

For a moment, it felt like ants were crawling all over him.

Durant, though, looked calm. Whether he'd been prepared for this or was just putting on a brave face, he pulled up the hood of his Warriors training jacket and avoided looking at the stands, silently getting ready for the game.

Across the way, Chen Xi watched KD, who seemed to be all alone, and felt something he couldn't quite put into words.

Was Durant wrong? Not exactly. He'd been a free agent when he left, and he was free to go wherever he wanted.

But the Thunder fans obviously didn't see it that way. He could've re-signed with the team early. He could've talked to the front office about a sign-and-trade. Most importantly, he'd gone to the Golden State Warriors, the team that had come back from a 3–1 deficit to eliminate the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals the previous season.

Of course, if he'd re-signed early, the Thunder might not have sent him to Golden State. That might have been one of Durant's considerations. People were always holding players up as examples of loyalty, but there were plenty of cases of teams treating players harshly, too. The Celtics, the Rockets—examples of teams with front offices like that were everywhere.

Back to the game.

Facing a Warriors team with all its key players available, the Thunder struggled to keep up. Chen Xi also had an unusually cold shooting night, and the team's meager production from Butler and Sabonis couldn't begin to match Golden State's firepower.

In the end, they had no choice but to swallow their second straight loss.

Chen Xi shot 6-for-16, including 2-for-7 from three, and went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, finishing with just 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 7 assists.

As the team's leading scorer after Westbrook's injury, a measly 16 points was clearly nowhere near enough—especially against the League's top team in Offensive Efficiency.

Slumps happened all the time, and the team didn't make much of it. They'd already had little hope of beating the Warriors without their star player. Chen's off night had merely helped push them over the edge.

After the game, the three hard-working brothers stayed on the court to practice again.

Grant and Chen Xi played one-on-one while Little Sabonis worked on his shooting nearby.

Just then, Turtle Turtle walked in.

"You're still here? You've got that much energy?"

"Young guys can take a little more wear and tear," Chen Xi said with a self-deprecating smile.

"Turtle Turtle, how's the injury?"

"Not bad. I should be back after the All-Star break."

"That soon? Didn't the doctor say a month? You don't have to rush. Why not rest a few more days?"

"It's fine. I got checked out, and I'm recovering better than expected." Russell smiled and patted Chen Xi on the head.

"I think you're just afraid that if you're out too long, I'll take your spot as the Leader!!!"

"..." Turtle Turtle was speechless.

"You've led the team to two straight losses, and I don't even want to talk about you. You're embarrassing yourself."

The more familiar the two got, the farther they pushed their jokes. Grant, standing nearby, was breaking out in a cold sweat. Could he really say that?

"Damn it!!!! There's a reason for it!" Chen Xi immediately jumped up at that.

"What reason? Your shoes suck? The court's slippery? The basket's crooked? Or your teammates are trash?" Turtle Turtle piled on.

"..." Chen was at a loss for words.

He should've known better than to teach him all that when they played video games together.

"Sixteen points, and you're leading the team? Jimmy scored 27 and didn't say he was leading the team!" Turtle Turtle kept going.